Soul Mates
by ncistiva41319
Summary: After some rough times Tiva is finally together but there is one person who will do anything to break them apart. Tiva fluff, very short. Just a two chapter thing about them getting together. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**New story, this is my first original story. I just watched the finale and I am totally shocked! I can't sleep so I am writing this. Hope you all like it! Lots and lots of Tiva! Please Review!**

**I do not own NCIS or its characters. Josh is my character.**

Ziva was furious! She had been sitting in the parking lot, alone for an hour, waiting for him. She glanced at her watch again watching the hands tick slowly by. Josh had promised he would be there this time. He had promised! Her rage swelled and she leapt up out of her chair and walked briskly out. As she reached for the steering wheel, she saw Josh's shiny, black Silverado pull in next to hers.

"Ziva stop! I'm sorry, I got caught in traffic!" He shouted gesturing for her to stop pulling out.

"Why should I! You always have some sort of excuse for not showing up on time!" She yelled right back at him, the blood pulsing through her veins. It took everything she had not to pull out her gun and point it at his head.

"No it's not like that Ziva now just stop! You're being ridiculous!" He walked behind her car and held out his arms. He was Israeli like her, well-built, and muscular. He had very short black hair and deep, dark brown eyes.

"Ridiculous! Look at you! WE ARE OVER! NOW GET OUT FROM BEHIND MY CAR BEFORE I MAKE YOU!" She was absolutely appalled at how he was behaving, and at herself too. Why did this make her so mad? What was it about this one man that infuriated her so much? She hit the gas, he had just enough time to jump out of the way before she sped off.

She could just barely hear him shout after her, "COME BACK HERE ZIVA! COME BACK!"

As she was driving she got a call from Gibbs to come into work. Less than 15 minutes later she was getting off the elevator, cursing under her breathe in Hebrew.

"Someone doesn't sound happy today" Tony noted immediately in his usual boyish charm. She glared in his direction, but all he did was smile. She couldn't help but relax a little, her muscles loosened and she let out a breathe although her face remained a mask of indignation .

"Why are we here?" She growled at him. Her mind still on the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend.

"Something about a robbery or something. Gibbs told me to stay here." He continued smiling at her, his head cocked slightly to the side, daring her not to smile back.

"I am going to find him" She kept her mask firmly in place, promising herself she wouldn't fall for those games. She stood, stared at him one last time then stalked off.

"Didn't you hear what I just said" he shouted after her but she had already disappeared around the corner. The second she had walked in he knew something was wrong. She was muttering under her breathe and she was shutting everyone out again. Her eyes were troubled and she wouldn't make eye contact. So as soon as she was a safe distance away he followed her.

He stopped behind the stairs as he hear her ask another agent where Gibbs was, the agent pointed to the way she had come and she was instantly headed back towards Tony. She practically ran around the corner, her steps strong and fast.

"Ziva!" He hissed to catch her attention. She spun around, surprise flashing in her eyes. She stepped threateningly closer. Her eyes blazing, challenging him. But he wasn't scared, he needed to know what was wrong.

"What do you want Tony" This time she stared right into his face. Her fierce chocolate brown eyes bore into his own green eyes.

"What's wrong?" He spoke barely above a whisper, his voice caring and supportive as he stared right back at her.

"Nothing. I am fine" She remained unmoving, unblinking even.

"Ziva we have been partners for a very long time. I can tell when you are fine and right now you aren't. Please just tell me what's wrong" All the childish humor was gone, there was no room for joking when it came to matters of the heart. Especially her heart. The sincerity in his voice surprised Ziva. She rarely ever saw this side of Tony.

"It is nothing you have to worry about Tony. It is petty, unimportant" She broke her gaze and looked down at the floor for a moment then back at him.

"Nothing is unimportant if it hurt you Ziva" The emotion in his surprised even him, his eyes pleaded with her.

"It was my ex-boyfriend, Josh. He was late to our date again and then he flipped out when I told him I was leaving" It sounded so meaningless when she said it that way.

"What exactly did he do?" Tony's concern was on the verge of becoming anger almost a threat.

"Nothing much he just yelled a lot and tried to stop me from leaving by standing behind the car. See Tony it was nothing" To avoid the almost certain awkwardness that would follow she walked back to her desk, avoiding his eyes as she left.

Tony stood stock-still, shocked at what he had just heard. He hadn't even known that Ziva had a boyfriend, and what this guy had done to her outraged him. _How could anyone do that to her, she is so... perfect._ As that crossed through his mind he realized how true it was. How utterly perfect Ziva David was. From her dazzling smile and deep brown eyes to her lean form and swaying gait. Then he realized it wasn't just anger pulsing through him, it was jealousy.

He shook the thoughts out of his head and took his place in the desk across from hers. Neither looked up or acknowledged the other all day.

Ziva's drive home was speedy and uneventful as usual. She pulled out her keys and turned the lock firmly. She stepped into the dark apartment and flipped on the light switch. Everything was the same every day. The loneliness set in. Her thoughts floated back to the events of that day as she wondered aimlessly around.

She opened the refrigerator and stared at it. It was almost empty, she hadn't had time to go shopping recently. Everything had been a blur. Suddenly she felt something in pushing into the small of her back. She stiffened and attempted to turn around but it was pushed in harder.

"Don't move" a familiar voice whispered menacingly in ear. All the muscles in her body tensed, shock numbed her mind and she couldn't think straight. " You thought you were so great, so much better than me. You thought you could just dump me and it would be over. Well you were wrong"

"Josh, you don't want to do this..." Ziva barely whispered, her voice trailing off as what she assumed was a gun stabbed farther into her back.

"Don't speak. Now turn around so I can see that lovely face of yours" She slowly turned, she kept any sign of fear or emotion from her face and voice.

She stared defiantly into his eyes and after a moment began to speak again "You aren't going to get away with this. I will stop you and if I don't my friends will."

He was unfazed by her challenge, leveling the gun with her head he said " Watch me" as his finger inched towards the trigger.

She flew into action, her leg coming up in a round house kick knocking the gun out of his hands just as the shot went off. She flung all her body weight towards him, bringing him to the ground. Her fists moved in to punch him but his arm came up and blocked. They struggled on the floor, each occasionally getting a punch in. Ziva's Mossad training gave her a huge advantage, she was not tiring as fast as he was but he was strong. Very strong.

Tony arrived home as usual and plopped down on the couch to relax and think over his day. At first he was thinking of the same old, "called into work on a Saturday" day but then he remembered his conversation with Ziva. He didn't even know what to think right now. He knew he loved her but he was fairly certain she didn't feel the same way. But on some rare occasions he saw something else there in the way she looked at him or laughed. Possibly something more than friendship, something he hoped was there.

The clock ticked slowly and he turned on a movie, staring at the screen but not being able to concentrate, "What is wrong with me?" he muttered to himself, trying to focus on the characters but failing. He got up and paced around his apartment. His mind was a big, jumbled mess that he couldn't sort out. Minutes seemed like hours but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't focus on anything.

Suddenly he heard a firm but hesitant knock on his door. No one was supposed to be coming tonight. He instinctively reached for his gun checking to make sure it was in its spot. When he opened the door so many emotions flew through him, rocking him to the core. His mind whirled and he couldn't make a sound. Finally he choked out " Ziva. What happened to you"

She hadn't planned on showing up at his door. It had just happened. They had fought, and fiercely, she knew she had been injured. But to get away she had climbed out her window and ran to her car, hoping he wasn't following her. She didn't know where to go, she didn't know where she was safe. She had just started driving and then before she knew it she was knocking on Tony's door.

He opened the door and stared at her in pure shock. So many other emotions crossed his face but they came and passed so quickly she couldn't keep up with them all, then he spoke.

"Ziva. What happened to you?" his voice was hoarse and full of emotion. She didn't know what she looked like but for him to react this way it must have been bad.

"I didn't know where else to go," She was on the verge of tears as she realized how much she meant those words.

"Come in" was all he could choke out. She looked like she had just been in a terrible fight, and it sounded like it too. She had a round bruise on her forehead, scratches on her face and arms, her hair was tangled and unruly, and she round bruise-like marks on her arm where a strong hand had held on too tight.

"What happened Ziva? Who did this to you?" He took her hand and brought her over to the couch, sitting her down. He walked into the kitchen bringing her some ice for the bump forming on her head.

She took it gratefully and pressed it to her forehead, "Josh came to my apartment. He was not very happy about this morning."

"He attacked you!" Tony's voice clearly showed his anger.

"He had a gun... And I knocked it out of his hands then we fought. He has Mossad training like I do but beats me in size and strength. I distracted him for long enough that I could climb out the window, then I came here." She looked at him, unsure at first why she had chosen to come here. Then as she looked into his eyes she knew the reason, she knew that he would help her in just the right way. Give her just the right amount of distance but still be close enough that she had someone to lean on.

As she thought this she leaned into him and whispered, "Thank you Tony"

He looked at her and all he wanted to do was kiss her, but he didn't. He gently put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. They fit perfectly there, and for a while they just sat, savoring the moment. And then they slowly drifted off to sleep, Ziva still wrapped protectively in Tony's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

** Hello all! Thank you to everyone that has followed, favorited and reviewed. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I haven't been able to write for a long time. I have been studying a lot for school. This week I should have more time so I will make it up to you. I am going to try to update as much as possible this week, every day if I can. I am going to say this story is set in season 10 but before the finale and before Parsons. This chapter is pretty much all Tiva fluff but soon I am going to have more into action along with that. Please continue reviewing I love hearing the feedback! Okay done ranting.**

**Do not own NCIS or its characters**

Ziva awoke with a start, then she realized where she was and she relaxed. She was still on the couch with Tony, her head rested on his shoulder and his hand loosely wrapped around hers. Everything was perfect for a moment. That one moment where she remembered falling asleep in his embrace, and feeling his warmth next to her when she awoke. A moment when she was next to the one man who she knew would always have her back and she wasn't worried. Just that one moment, and then it all came flooding back.

She remembered why she had come the previous night. She remembered her horrible fight with Josh, the gun shot going off inches from her head. Everything had happened so fast, her mind had been working on autopilot. Her instincts had told her to fight, to keep going until one of them could no longer fight but her mind told her something different. Then her mind flashed to when she had showed up at his door. Something had brought her here and now she saw what it was. Here in his arms she felt warm and safe.

She turned and looked up into his face. He slept peacefully, breathing deeply with his arm still around her. She thought about their relationship. They had come so far since they had first met but there had been so many setbacks recently that she was sure their friendship had been hurt. When her father had died all her emotions had gotten tangled up. She had pushed Tony away and gone to men that she barely knew. She knew that if things went wrong with them, it wouldn't hurt. Especially since the crash they had been fighting a lot more than usual.

She wasn't sure what she wanted or expected from Tony. She knew that she felt different about him than she felt about Mcgee or her other friends. But how different? What was so special about Tony that whenever she was in trouble she could turn to him. She knew that he would always have her back but it wasn't just that. Mcgee had her back too but it would have been weird for her to have shown up at his door the previous night. She didn't just fit with Mcgee like she did with Tony.

Tony was different, he was the one person that always had her back. The person she could count on to be there when she needed but to also back off when she needed. He was the one person who understood, he always knew when something was wrong or when she was in a really good mood. That was why he had stopped her yesterday, he had known that something was bothering her. Sometimes it felt like he knew her almost as well as she knows herself.

But she couldn't let him get any closer. She had secrets, things she had never told anyone and couldn't especially him. She couldn't let that be ruined, what they had was too perfect. But at the same time she desperately wanted to be more than best friends with Tony. She remembered the things she had said to him in the past.

"The ones who get close always end up dead" It always happened. Everyone who got close to her ended up dead. Her sister, gone. Her brother, gone. Her father, gone. It was hard not to blame herself. Her family was gone and she was all alone.

"We are all alone" She had said that to Tony once, thinking back on it now she realized that it felt that way a lot but not all the time. Sometimes she felt so alone, as if there was no one out there that could possibly be there for her. That she was just an emotionless warrior, who always took the job above her own life. But she also realized that there were times when she knew she was not alone. Most of those times included Tony.

"Aht lo levad" He had whispered in her ear, "you are not alone." She had been so touched by this simple statement. He had taken the time to learn how to say it in her native language and the way he had said it was so deep and meaningful. He had always been there, he had hugged her when she felt down, gave her words of encouragement, always having her back. They had saved each other countless times .

She didn't know why everything was coming back now. Every time he had been there when she needed him, every time he had saved her, every word he had said. Somalia, Berlin, Paris, undercover operations, stakeouts, bombs, gunshots, car crashes, deaths, simple words, bathroom conversations, meaningful stares, these things defined their relationship. These things made them who they were.

Her mind wondered to one of the first times she had ever known how important she was to Tony, the time when she knew where she belonged. Somalia. She had been gone for months, in the middle of nowhere. She had left NCIS and barely bothered to communicate with them. But they had come, he had come. Her father and home country had abandoned her but they came. She had heard about how Tony was when he thought she was dead. She had heard about how he had told Gibbs no and orchestrated a revenge mission.

Then when he found out she was still alive and she had asked why he was there he had responded by saying "Couldn't live without you... I guess."

Especially since the explosion, they had been getting so close. Or as Tony put it "Telling each other things about things, the things that you know.. matter" And it was true, they had been sharing so much with each other. Telling each other things that they hadn't told other people. Things that were important.

These weren't the only things in their relationship, they also bickered a lot. Always teasing and bantering. It was like a fun, complicated game for both of them. Something that had become a part of their daily life. There were also many times when they would be in life threatening situations and still stick together. When a one of them would push the other out of the way of a bomb blast or gunshot.

All the nicknames, and little hints that they had. Things that reminded them of what had happened in the past or what they secretly hoped would come in the future. When they had been going through the box of old undercover things and he had found the picture of her wearing the pregnancy shirt and prosthetic or when she had held up the ring to her finger in the car. In Berlin when she had just laid next to him in bed or watching movies together.

She didn't want things to end badly, she couldn't but she wondered sometimes where they would be in a month or even a year. She wondered what she wanted to happen? She thought perhaps...

Her thoughts were interrupted as Tony moved, she looked up at his face and saw his eyes were open. He smiled, "Good morning" he whispered. She smiled and hid all her emotions once again.

She shifted so that she was sitting and facing him, her muscles were stiff and sore but she didn't mind. "So Ziva..." he began tenderly. " What now?"

Her eyes wondered, he could tell she was trying to find the right words. Her hair was ruffled, the bruises had become a bit more apparent and scratches marked her face but despite it all she still looked as beautiful as ever. She looked into his face the way she had countless times before, with a strange mix of emotion hidden deep in her eyes but her face hid everything.

He had been thinking about her a lot recently. He tried to be there for her but she continuously pushed him away. She could be so difficult sometimes, he had gotten used to it. He wished she would just let him in, that she would just see he would always be there for her. But he was pretty sure she didn't think anyone was there for her.

"Life will just continue now" She finally spoke, she knew she had to put up that wall again before he brought it down any more. She looked into his deep, green eyes and saw a dash of sadness but then it was gone. All that was left was friendship and caring.

"Are you sure? He could still be out there. Don't you think you we should tell Gibbs?" He asked, treading carefully so he wouldn't upset her in any way.

"There is no reason to tell Gibbs. I was weak, it will not happen again. If I see him again I will make sure he does not bother me again." She looked down at her hands, ashamed.

"Hey, Ziva" He slowly cupped her chin in his hands and lifted her face so he could look right into her eyes, " You weren't weak. You are never weak, you are the strongest person I know"

She pulled away from him and looked down again, " No, I was weak. I should never have left, I should have kept fighting. I should not have come here"

Her words tore into him like a bullet, she still didn't understand. He couldn't mask the hurt on his face, his brain worked to find the right words to express how he was feeling but he couldn't. His mouth moved to speak but no sound came out.

She saw the shock on his face when she said that and she instantly regretted it. In the process of trying to keep him safe she was hurting him, " Tony, I did not mean it like that. I am very grateful that you were there for me last night but I needed to stand up to Josh. "

His facial features softened but he was still hurt a little by her previous words, " You could have gotten yourself killed, it's better to be safe than sorry. "

"Yes but that is just not who I am Tony. I do not back down from a fight. I do not run away when things get difficult!" Her voice rose a couple notches, she saw that her words had a strong effect on him but she needed to be firm.

"I know that better than most people Ziva! But it doesn't mean you should throw your life away because you are too prideful to admit defeat sometimes!" He couldn't believe this was happening, he had thought maybe they had made some progress.

"Maybe I did mean what I said, I made a big mistake coming here!" She stood up and headed swiftly for the door.

Tony realized what was about to happen, he couldn't leave things between them like this. He had to fix this. He jumped up and half ran to catch her before she reached the door. He couldn't let everything they had be ruined by one mistake. All the moments they had shared were worth too much to him. She reached for the door knob but just before her hand met with the metal Tony grabbed her wrist.

She spun around, glaring defiantly, her eyes burning into him. "I suggest you take your hand off me" she growled her eyes shifted briefly to his hand then back to his face.

"Not until you listen to me. " He stared right back at her but with courage and strength. "Ziva, sometimes you can be so difficult and stubborn." She tugged on her arm but he wouldn't release it "But you are so strong at the same time. I have never met anyone as strong as you. You are a trained assassin! You're always the one who is never afraid, who always risks herself for others. You never think about yourself, always the lives you could be saving. You are also so independent, you always think you are alone in everything. But Ziva the one thing you don't see is that there are people out there who want to help, people who will always have your back no matter what, people who care about you. People like me Ziva. If only you knew how much I cared, but no matter what I do, you push me away. I decided this time, I wasn't going to let it end badly, I couldn't just let you leave angry." His voice got softer as he continued, he had pulled all of those words from his heart and he hoped she saw just how true they were.

As she listened to everything he had to say, she was appalled. She hadn't realized he felt that strongly about the subject. Her eyes softened, she looked at him and she knew he meant every word. She didn't know what to say, everything was happening so fast. She had meant to keep him safe, "Tony... It is not that I don't realize that people... you have my back it is that everyone who has my back ends up hurt. Everyone close to me dies, and I couldn't live with myself if you became one of those people also."

Tony stood for a second, his hand still on her wrist. Emotions were flooding through him, taking over. He couldn't control what happened next, it just kind of happened. He bent down and kissed her ever so gently on the lips, enjoying that one moment and then pulling back. He surprised even himself in doing that but he didn't regret it.

Ziva's eyes widened in shock and she gasped looking up at his face. Her mind froze, not a single thought moved through her head. She stared at him for a second, trying to process what had just happened. Tony watched her carefully gauging her reaction, waiting for her to say something. She couldn't speak so she let her actions do the talking.

Tony felt her wrist begin sliding out of his, he was sure he had messed up. He had ruined everything, all of it was gone now. She kept staring into his face, her mouth open just a tiny bit. But suddenly her hand came to a stop, her finger tips brushing up against his. She inched closer to him, and kissed him back, longer and more passionately. Their fingers interlocked just as they had done in the car right before Bodnar had ruined it. But Bodnar hadn't ruined everything, he hadn't taken them from each other.

** Thank you all for reading! I hope I stayed in character, please feel free to give me any ideas or tips. I would love to hear it. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in the next couple days. Thanks again! **


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